Escape from the Land of Snows

The Young Dalai Lama's Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero

By: Stephan Talty

Narrated by: Shishir Kurup

The remarkable true story of the miraculous journey that made the Dalai Lama into the man he is today and sparked the fight for Tibetan freedom.

In the early weeks of 1959, a bloody uprising gripped the streets of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa as ragtag Tibetan rebels faced off against their Communist Chinese occupiers. Realizing that the impending battle would result in a bloodbath and his own capture, the young Dalai Lama began planning an audacious escape to India, a two-week journey that would involve numerous near-death encounters, a dangerous mountain crossing, and evading thousands of Chinese soldiers who were intent on hunting him down. The journey would transform this naïve young man into one of the world’s greatest statesmen...and create an enduring beacon of hope for a nation.

Emotionally powerful and irresistibly pause-resisting, Escape from the Land of Snows is simultaneously a portrait of the inhabitants of a spiritual nation forced to take up arms in defense of their ideals, and the saga of a burgeoning leader who was ultimately transformed into the towering figure the world knows today - a charismatic champion of free thinking and universal compassion.

©2010 Stephan Talty (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“A hair-raising tale of daring and escape.” (The Washington Post)

"Riveting, informed...A great read for Tibetophiles old and new." ( Kirkus Reviews)

“It was perhaps history's most momentous escape: the Dalai Lama fleeing over the roof of the world from Mao's advancing troops. I loved losing myself in Escape from the Land of Snows and you will too.” (James Bradley, New York Times best seller author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, and The Imperial Cruise)

The courageous escape of a mystical icon

The story had many lulls and also many exciting parts overall,but seemed a bit disjointed.The Dalai Lama was very young when he was made the leader of Tibet.His inexperience made him an easy target.The place is like no other on this earth and is abundant in sorely needed resources that the Han Chinese could not resist.Many of them are rare and are only found there.The U.S.government helped the Dalai Lama escape to India and he has never been able to return to his homeland.The people suffered a great deal and are really not too much different than the American Indians or the Aborigines must have been.Sweet,simple kind people trying to lead spiritual lives of abandon,but the world in its greed to turn everything into something commercial and corporate took over and changed these peoples lives irrevocably.

Insightful

What did you love best about Escape from the Land of Snows?

I have been listening to whatever audiobooks I can find featuring the Dalai Lama but this one provided me with a full picture of his life and the history of the interaction between China and Tibet that I was not able to find elsewhere. By escaping Tibet, the Dalai Lama left his "golden cage" to be a worldwide advocate for compassion. Steven Talty did a great job with the story too. I have been a fan of his after listening to 'Empire of the Blue Water'. This is an audiobook that I'll never forget. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and the conflict between China and Tibet.

Interesting effect of China on the world.

What made the experience of listening to Escape from the Land of Snows the most enjoyable?

This was an interesting listen with the personal drama of a day gone by with the effect recognizable today.

What other book might you compare Escape from the Land of Snows to and why?

The book reminded me of the

Have you listened to any of Shishir Kurup’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, at the end when it looked at the time individuals spent suffering in prison and the crualty of China with respect to human life.